Tokyo Reuters — The Bank of Japan (BOJ) maintained ultra-low interest rates on Friday and held off making changes to its controversial bond yield control policy, leaving options open ahead of a leadership transition in April. Though widely expected by most analysts, the decision sent the yen and local bond yields tumbling as some investors […]
London CNN — The UK government this week introduced proposed legislation that it couldn’t say for certain complies with international law, its latest attempt to put a stop to migrant boats crossing the English Channel from France. The UK has seen a dramatic increase of people arriving in small, non-seaworthy boats, having paid criminal gangs […]
CNN — The US transferred an alleged al Qaeda bomb maker from Guantanamo Bay to Saudi Arabia, the Defense Department announced Wednesday, part of the Biden administration’s ongoing efforts to close the prison facility. Ghassan Al Sharbi, a 48-year-old Saudi native who has been held in detention at Guantanamo Bay for 20 years, was sent […]
New York CNN — The Chinese government could use TikTok to control data on millions of people and harness the short-form video app to shape public opinion should China invade Taiwan, FBI Director Christopher Wray told the Senate Intelligence Committee Wednesday. Wray responded affirmatively to questions from Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, the panel’s […]
Washington CNN — The Biden administration took action Wednesday against several Iranian officials and entities for committing human rights abuses against women and girls in the latest round of sanctions against Tehran over its crackdown on unrest in the country. As the world marked International Women’s Day, Wednesday’s actions include sanctions against two senior officials […]
Hong Kong CNN — China’s outgoing Premier Li Keqiang has announced the country’s lowest GDP growth target in decades, highlighting the domestic and global challenges the world’s second largest economy still faces despite its decision late last year to ditch draconian anti-Covid measures. Li set a target of about 5% growth for 2023 during the […]
CNN — Colombia plans to fly dozens of its “cocaine hippos” – the descendents of drug trafficker Pablo Escobar’s private menagerie – to new homes in India and Mexico in a bid to control their booming population, according to the local governor. There are now between 130 and 160 of the hippos, according to the […]
A version of this story appeared in the March 3 edition of CNN’s Royal News, a weekly dispatch bringing you the inside track on Britain’s royal family. Sign up here. London CNN — Royals speak through actions more than words, which often leaves royal commentators reading into what they do without the benefit of an […]
Hong Kong CNN — A Chinese city says it has destroyed a billion pieces of personal data collected during the pandemic, as local governments gradually dismantle their coronavirus surveillance and tracking systems after abandoning the country’s controversial zero-Covid policy. Wuxi, a manufacturing hub on China’s eastern coast and home to 7.5 million people, held a […]
Editor’s Note: A version of this story appeared in CNN’s Meanwhile in China newsletter, a three-times-a-week update exploring what you need to know about the country’s rise and how it impacts the world. Sign up here. Hong Kong CNN — The US Department of Energy’s assessment that Covid-19 most likely emerged due to a laboratory […]